The official population of Pyongyang is somewhere in the neighborhood of 2 million, although nobody is exactly sure. The government has complete control over who moves there, and does not permit elderly or infirm people to live in the city. In fact, until a few years ago, pregnant women were not allowed to live in Pyongyang. Children are in abundance, however, and the younger (unconditioned) ones are generally very friendly to foreigners.

Movement in Pyongyang is very restricted, even for natives, but especially for visitors. It's impossible to even enter the country without holding diplomatic credentials or purchasing a package tour. Diplomats are confined to the immediate area of their compounds in eastern Pyongyang, and tourists are always accompanied by government handlers, who can be easygoing or draconian depending on a number of factors (mainly how many cigarettes you give them).

Most visitors to Pyongyang are put up in the Yanggak International Hotel, which is located on an island in the middle of the Taedong River, a perfect corral for curious foreigners. There are other places to stay, though: the Koryo Hotel is Pyongyang's most luxurious lodging, and a number of cheaper hotels are available for budget travelers.

Landmarks

The 3,000-room Ryugyong Hotel, a concrete pyramid that rises 105 stories over the city, is Pyongyang's most noticable landmark. Although construction suddenly stopped a few years back, leaving it unfinished and uninhabitable, it catches the visitor's eye almost immediately, much to the government's embarrassment.

There are also two stadiums in the northern part of town, built during the North's heyday of the late 70's and early 80's. Kim Il Sung Stadium, near the Arch, and May Day Stadium, on Rungna Island, seat over 100,000 spectators each, making them among the largest sporting venues in the world, although they spend the vast majority of their time empty thanks to failed bids in the 1988 Olympics and 2002 World Cup.

Shopping

North Korea has a currency (the North Korean won), but you will probably never get to own, touch, or see it, because all visitor commerce is conducted in euros (which recently replaced U.S. dollars as foreign exchange currency). Most of what you can buy there is revolutionary propaganda: books, videos, and music. Of course, these make incredible souvenirs of a visit.

Getting around

Buses, taxis, and private cars are nonexistent in Pyongyang. The only way to get around the city is by riding in a car from the state's Mercedes fleet, or by taking the subway.

The Pyongyang subway is one of the most extravagant in the world. Its stations feature cathedral-like arched ceilings, huge chandeliers, and vast murals of Kim's Great Proletarian Revolution, complete with station names like "Unity," "Victory," and "Triumph," although the rumors surrounding the subway's functionality and purpose deserve a node of their own.

I've never been to this city, but I want to go before bombs or capitalism destroy it. It's a living political fossil of a back-asswards ideology, and I suspect that few people will miss it when it's gone.